The Seattle Seahawks' next move after extending wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba this offseason wasn't to extend cornerback Devon Witherspoon (yet), but to keep edge rusher Derick Hall around for the long run. The second-round 2023 second-round draft pick signed a new deal worth as much as $42 million over three years beyond 2026.
Some might be surprised by the early move for Hall. After all, in his first season, he was relatively awful. Not great against the run, and he provided zero sacks. That was just before head coach Mike Macdonald joined the team.
In Macdonald's first season with Seattle in 2024, Hall jumped to eight sacks and 20 quarterback hits. In 2025, he had only two sacks, but that is why Hall's re-signing truly matters.
Derick Hall's new extension is a testament to the greatness of Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald
Of note is that Boye Mafe, who left in free agency to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals for three years and as much as $20 million each season, only had two sacks, too. Yet, Seattle led the NFL in points allowed per game (17.2) and was seventh in sacks with 47. Mafe and Hall were great without producing raw statistics. That's the Macdonald trick.
In his system, edge rushers can get a bunch of sacks, but it is how they work in the overall scheme that could raise the defense overall. Hall only had two sacks, but he didn't need a lot more for the defense to be elite. He won't need to get to 10 sacks, though that would make for a pretty number, for the defense to be great again, either.
Hall is a nearly perfect Mike Macdonald disciple because he doesn't solely look at his own statistics. What the edge rusher does is the dirty work of shutting down running lanes on the outside, pushing things inside, and then causing offensive linemen to move backward, opening holes for players such as Devon Witherspoon to clean up.
Blitzes aren't called much in Macdonald's scheme because they don't need to be. What is needed are players who can perfect the system and have players perform their roles exceedingly well while understanding how the overall defense works. That's Derick Hall.
Some national pundits will look at Hall's new $42 million deal and eschew the true value. What Seattle Seahawks fans know is that Mike Macdonald's brilliant defense works because of the scheme and chosen players to perfect it. Derick Hall is worth the money even if he doesn't get to 10 sacks. Those outside the Pacific Northwest won't get that because they don't understand the scheme.
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